Volumetric gas-reg u lator



(ModeL) M. G. WILDER.

VOLUMBTRIG GAS REGULATOR. No. 397,573. Patented Feb. 12, 1889.

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II HII! WITNESSES: INVENTOR.

Warren STATES nrnnr tries.

MOSES G. \VILDER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

VOLUETRIC GAS- REGULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 397,573, dated February 12, 1889.

Application filed March 22, 1888- Serial No. 268,112. (Modeld To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MOsEs G. \VILDER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city and countyof Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Volumetric Gas- Regulators, of which the following i a specification.

Hy invention relates to improvements in the construction of the regulator patented to me November-9,1886, No. 352,174; and the object of my invention is to improve, sim-- plify, and cheapen the regulator described and claimed in my patent above referred to.

The principle and action of the regulator described in my present application are precisely similar to that described in my former patent, the improvements relating solely to the details of construction.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which similar letters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views, Figure 1 is a central sectional elevation of a regulator embodying my improvements; Fig. 2, a plan of the upper part of the outer shell or case; Fig. 3, a plan of under part of outer shell or case; Fig. 4, a plan of disk or float and valve; Fig. 5, a side elevation of the same; Fig. 6, a plan of disk or float, showing method. of stamping it in order to re-enforce the'valve; Fig. 7, a side elevation of regulating-screw; Fig. 8, a sectional. elevation of part of outside case and thimble; Fig. 9, a sectional elevation of the regulator arranged for upwardly-passing currents; Fig. 10, a plan of the upper part of outside case, showing a modified form of bridge; Fig. 11, a sectional elevation of a regulator, the lower part of which is formed by turning from a solid casting; and Fig. 12, a plan of the lower part of regulator shown in Fig. 11.

A is the upper part, and A the lower part, of the outer shell or case; .3, an inner shell or case, which is attached to the outer shell or case, A, at its center (1. This attachment is made as follows: The upper part of the shell A furnished with a bridge, a, which is preferably east with the shell. 'Thisbridge may have the shape shown in Fig. 2 or that shown in Fig. 10, or any other suitable or? convenient shape. Projecting from the cen ter of the bridge a is a boss, Z), the center of which coincides with the axis of the shell. This boss passes through the center of the top of the inner shell, B, and is riveted, as shown in Fig. 1.

D is a hole in the shell B; H, an adj ustingscrew which passes through a thimble, M, which is held by the case A. The manner of securing this thimble to the case is best seen in Fig. 8. The thimble is furnished with a shoulder, c, and the case is bored out to receive this shoulder. After the thimble has been put in place the metal of the shoulder is swaged or spread, so as to fasten it into its place. It is evident that the metal of the shell may be swaged over this shoulder c, if required. The thimblc is furnished with a thread, d, and its upper end is bored out. The screw H has its upper part turned round, and a piece of thread or twine, e, is wound around it. A slot, f, is cut alongside the head of the screw and extends down to the turned-oft part. After the thread has been wound around the screw its ends are drawn through the slot f and cut olii' This method of securing the ends of the thread, while being very simple, has been found very secure.

hen the regulaiing-screw II is in place, the thread fills up the turned-out upper part of the thimble M and prevents all leakage of gas through the thimble, while permitting the turning of the screw in or out, as may be desired, in adjusting the regulator to deliver the proper volume of Instead of the thimble M being arranged as described, it will be seen that the shell may have cast upon it a boss which may be drilled out and threaded in order to receive the screw II. This boss would be precisely similar in its functions to the thimble, but instead of being a separate piece from the case A would be integral with it.

The under shell, A, has a post, R, projecting upward from it. (This post may, if de sired, be carried upon a bridge similar to the bridge described in the upper shell, A.) This post centrally guides and supports the disk E and valve F. B is a shell secured to the post R, and which joins the shell B at the latters lower end.

The shell B is bored out to receive the disk ICO Lil

The shell B is provided with a number of holes, the aggregate area of which is much greater than the area of hole D in shell B, so that the gas may have free access to the lower side of disk E. A shoulder about post R is so arranged that it may be riveted or spread E down to secure shell B in place.

The valve F is secured to the disk E as follows: The disk is struck out of a fiat piece of metal, and it has punched in its center a hole, 9, which maybe circular, but which is preferably star-shaped, Fig. 6, the number of points to this star being immaterial. The points of the star are now punched or forced up, as shown in Fig. 5, and the valve F is put in place and may be soldered.

The regulator shown in Fig. l is for descending currents, and that shown in Figs. 9 and 11 for ascending currents. From these drawings it will be seen. that but very slight changes have to be made in the regulator to adapt it to either ascending or descending currents.

It will be noticed that the top and bottom of the case A A are furnished with screwthreads A A. These threads are for the p urpose of holding the shell in the lathe during its construction, and may also be used for attaching the apparatus to the supply-pipe and burner.

v In casting the upper and lower parts of these regulators it is found desirable on account of accuracy to avoid the use of sand cores as far as possible in all the smaller sizes. The gasways must therefore be made in a way to require the least number of such cores. The bridge a enables me to cast the shell, including the central hole, solid, the projection of the bridge being in relief upon the inner surface of the shell. \Vhen the shell A is put into the lathe to bore out and thread the central hole, the gasways are made upon the sides of the bridge by drilling and turning or cutting away the sides of this bridge, or rather the metal between the bridge proper and the shell, so as to leave the bridge supported at the ends of each span, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, S, and 10, the gasways being between these points of support and under the span of the bridge, as shown. My castings are better than if cored, and the gasways are smooth and of uniform sizes.

The bridge could evidently be made of a separate piece and be bolted in; but in most cases the form shown is preferable. It is also evident that the bridge may be used to support the upper or lower cup, and the central post,which supports the float, may, if desired, be a part of the bridge.

Fig. 11 shows a modification of the regulator, in which the gas-passages are turned from the solid, as in the bridges described above. Small brass castings cannot be made cheaply with cored cavities or passages. Ihold a solid brass casting previously drilled and threaded at A Fig. 11, upon a solid mandrel in a revolving-turret machine. The application of successive turret-tools shapes and turns the casting accurately to the form shown in section in Fig. ll, including the screw-thread a, for holding the top shell upon it. Before the finishing or last out is made within the cup "3 a cutter which is of a width to form the I groove l) is brought to bear upon the revolving casting and the groove is quickly formed. Thus at one operation, or practically one operation, a complicated shape is made with a great degree of accuracy and certainty. The depth of the groove 1) is such as will leave the cup l3 supported centrally upon a post which is of a diameter to allow the gasways 5 s .9, Figs. 11 and 12, to be drilled,.so

as to open passages into the interior of the cup below the float E; but these holes do not open into the circular groove b,being wholly within the post and opening at one end into the center hole, A" The adjusting-screw H is now fitted to work in a threaded h ole drilled up into the cup from the outside of the governor-body. This hole passes entirely through the turned groove 7.), and the adjusting screw, when set to the proper position, allows the gas to How from the cup down into the groove, and thence it is distributed and flows up over the top of the float and valve to the burner through the outlet 0. The volumetric function is due to the regulated flow past the adjusting-screw at the constant ate secured by the action of the float and balanced valve. The regulating action is the same as in my previous patent referred to, and is not changed by this novel construction of the apparatus. The valve used in this modification of my regulator consists of a central solid post, R, projecting up from the bottom of the cup, of a diameter nearly the same as that of the outlet 0. Coy'ering this post and moving freely up and down upon it is a metal tube, F, closed at one end, and the float E is mounted upon this tube in any convenient manner. This tube or valve when lifted reduces or cuts off the flow of gas through the outlet 0, and thus forms with the post a balanced valve. The valve is freely fitted upon the post, and there will be a leakage of between the post and valve. This gas serves to prevent friction by keeping the valve from resting against the post; but if it did not find vent at the top it would cause a pressure up ward upon the valve, which would defeat my purpose in this form of construction. I therefore drill a small hole, 0, in the top of the valve, which allows the escape of this leakage. This hole maybe of any desired size, as its sole purpose is to prevent any pressure over the post acting upon the valve. The valve F opens and closes the outlet 0 as it rises and IIO falls, when lifted or depressed by the float. l enabled to make a very small and elegant gov- The post occupies the central area of the tube, and, being nearly of the same diameter as the outlet 0, it prevents the action of the gas upon an area of the float equal to that included within the outlet-areathat is, it

cuts out from the under surface of the float an area which balances the valve and leaves it in eq iilibrium. In this condition of equilibrium the opening of the valve will always be such as 10 allow the gas to flow out as fast as it flows past the adjusting-screw into the groove or chamber Z).

The action of the apparatus herein shown and described is precisely similar to that shown and described in my patent, No. 352,174, above referred to, and is therefore not 1ni- 'nutely described herein, as the apparatus shown in the present application differs from the former onlyin the details of construction.

It will. be seen that my present invention differs from. that shown and described in my patent, No. 352,17l, in several important particulars. In each the valve moves up and down on a post projecting up from the lower part or base of the regulator; but in my former invention the cup, which forms the working-cylinder and in which the float operates, is suspended wholly from the upper shell, and while it may be perfectly true and concentric with this upper shell it by no means follows that it will be true and concentric with the lower shell and its post on account of the very high character of workmanship required to accomplish this result. In almost every case it will be found that the float bears on one side of the cup and does not work up and down freely as it should with changes of the In my present invention the workii'ig-cylinder is either a sheet-metal cup, which 'is riveted to the base and is then turned off true at the same time that the post is turned, or itis formed of and from the solid metal of the base, so that the cylinder and post, being turned together or at one operation, will be perfectly concentric and true with small cost and cheap labor. I have also patented a regulator (No. 3523,3 12, November 30, 1886,) having the central post and cylinder formed both upon the base; but this invention is for an upcurrent governor and cannot be made to regulate a descending current without very great changes.

My present invention differs from those above mentioned in the fact that by having the on p so formed or placed upon the base as to leave a free open space under the cup, in the manner shown, I can make with this construction an up or down current governor with but slight changes in the gas-passages. I can also in the form shown in Fig. 11 conveniently and cheaply apply the adjustingscrew below the float, which I could not do in either form previously described. I am thus ernor-burner adjustable from two to six feet of gas per hour, and can use the packed adj Listing-screw shown in Fig. 7. The number of parts is reduced to a minimum and the entire working mechanism is contained in the base, so that I can with cheap labor obtain better results than I could do with skilled labor in the previous forms.

I claim I. The combination, with the outer and illner shell of a gas-regulator, of a bridge span ning the gas inlet or outlet hole and furnished with a boss adapted to be riveted to and to secure the inner shell, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the lower part of the outer case or shell of a gas-regulator, of the post R and inner shell, B, said post being furnished with a shoulder adapted to be riveted over and to hold said shell in place.

3. In a gas or fluid regulator, and in combination, the screw H, made as described, the fibrous or yielding packing wound upon it, and the threaded thimble or drilled seat, when formed, fitted, and operating to securely pack the said screw against leakage and to permit adjustment as required, substantially as set forth.

4. In a or fluid regulator, the hereindescribed regulating-screw, the upper part of which is turned off and which is furnished with a slot in which the ends of the packingthread maybe placed in order to secure them, substantially as set forth.

5. A float, substantially as described, consisting of a punched disk, the center of which is perforated and raised to support and strengthen the joint, combined with a tubular valve passed up through said disk and secured thereto by soldering or swaging the metal of the disk about it.

6. The upper or lower shell ofa volumetric regulator, combined with and centrally supported on a bridge attached to the shell or. body and extending over the inlet or outlet, so as to allow the gas-passages to be formed by turning or drilling through the central hole in said shell, substantially as described.

'7. In a volumetric gas or fluid regulator, the base, working-cylinder and float, and an annular gas passage extending under the working-cylinder toward the center thereof, when so combined as to permit the to act upon the float through said anniiilar gas-pas sage and suitable perforations in the bottom of the,working-cylinder, substantially as described.

S. In a volumetric gas or fluid regulator, the base, working-cylinder, central post and float, gas-passage, and adjusting-screw, when so combined with perforations in the working-eylinder as to permit the gas to enter the cylinder to act upon the lower part of the float through said perforations and afterward to i pass the adjusting-screw, and said passage to act upon the upper part of the float, suhstan- I scribed, so that the cup forms a cover for the tially as described. working-eylind er 9. The upper and lmrer shells of a v0ln-- MOSES G WILDER mettle regulator, eolnlnned \v1th a cup of 5 sheet metal attached to the upper shell. and \Vitnesses:

the \vorking-eylind or 11 pen the lower shell, ar- OTIS EGAN, ranged and operating substantially as de- CHAS. A. BUTTER. 

